at the prisoner had the advantage over his
accusers.

"How unfortunate," remarked the governor of the Depot, with a shade
of sarcasm in his voice, "that so much trouble, and such marvelous
penetration, should be wasted!"

"So you think, sir, that I have wasted my time!" rejoined Lecoq in a
tone of angry banter, a scarlet flush mantling at the same time over his
features. "Such is not my opinion. This scrap of paper undeniably proves
that if any one has been mistaken as regards the prisoner's identity, it
is certainly not I."

"Very well," was the reply. "M. Gevrol and myself may have been
mistaken: no one is infallible. But have you learned anything more than
you knew before? Have you made any progress?"

"Why, yes. Now that people know the prisoner is not what he pretends to
be, instead of annoying and hampering me, perhaps they will assist us to
discover who he really is."

Lecoq's tone, and his allusion to the difficulties he had encountered,
cut the governor to the quick. The knowledge that the reproof was not
altogether undeserved increased his resentment and determined him to
bring this discussion with an inferior to an abrupt close. "You are
right," said he, sarcastically. "This May must be a very great and
illustrious personage. Only, my dear Monsieur Lecoq (for there is an
only), do me the favor to explain how such an important personage could
disappear, and the police not be advised of it? A man of rank, such
as you suppose this prisoner to be, usually has a family, friends,
relatives, proteges, and numerous connections; and yet not a single
person has made any inquiry during the three weeks that this fellow May
has been under my charge! Come, admit you never thought of that."

The governor had just advanced the only serious objection that could be
found to the theory adopted by the prosecution. He was wrong, however,
in supposing that Lecoq had failed to foresee it; for it had never once
been out of the young detective's mind; and he had racked his brain
again and again to find some satisfactory explanation. At the present
moment he would undoubtedly have made some angry retort to the
governor's sneering criticism, as people are wont to do when their
antagonists discover the weak spot in their armor, had not M. Segmuller
opportunely intervened.

"All these recriminations do no good," he remarked, calmly; "we can make
no progress while they continue. It would be much wiser to decide upon
the course th